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July 1, 2009

Cliff Richard ordered to remove structure

by Sam Savage

British 1960s pop singer Cliff Richard must tear down a $50,000 conservatory on his property or face prosecution, a local government council has ruled.

The Runnymede Borough Council in Virginia Water, Surrey, said Richard, 68, built the structure at his mansion three years ago without the proper planning permissions, The Times of London reported Wednesday.

The ruling came after a real estate agent working for Richard, who has sold more than 260 million records, applied for permissions retroactively. The committee meeting turned bizarre when Commissioner Michael Kusneraitus dropped 10 Cliff Richard song titles while discussing the structure, the newspaper said.

If the 'Bachelor Boy' was successful in appealing the committee's decision, they might all be singing 'Congratulations,' The Times quoted the Conservative Party commissioner as saying.

The committee based its decision on demanding the tear-down on its policy of stopping the spread of such conservatories, which are seen as a threat to efforts to preserve Green Belt land, the newspaper said.